Our Guide to Fifth Anniversary Gifts: Knock on Wood

July 21, 2017

Your fifth anniversary is a big milestone, and one you should celebrate happily—after all, you’re 1/10 of the way to year 50! But it’s not time to start giving gold yet; on the contrary, “wood” is the word for your fifth year together, and, if you’re feeling kinda modern, so is “silverware.” With so many options for wooden gifts—from furniture to cutting boards to Jenga to, well, trees—it can be difficult to sift through your options and choose something that’s sure to speak to your spouse. That’s where we come in, with an uncommon spin on ten traditional fifth anniversary gift ideas, like clocks, cutting boards, picture frames, and wall art… plus, as always, one modern-themed gift to quench your thirst for the contemporary. Read on below.

Traditional: Wood

Save for its mechanical bits, this clock is made entirely from oak, though a sophisticated series of cuts allows it to flex easily at its “hinges.” And with 30 characters’ worth of customizable space in which to express your love, it’s an ideal pick to toast your fifth anniversary. | Personalized Flex Time Clock

Wooden jewelry—why not? With teal resin accents and a gold-plated chain, this geometric collar makes a stylish statement just in time for year five. | Colorblock Teal Necklace

Made from maple, this sleek valet is designed to house everyday items in its top two compartments, with its lower level dedicated to special keepsakes—and the transmission of a heartfelt message of your choosing. | Personalized Compartment Valet

If your honey’d sooner spend hours on a bike than pose for a couple’s portrait, this handmade assemblage incorporating upcycled bike tubes, metal, and strips of colored plywood may just do the trick. | Reclaimed Wood Bike Silhouette Art

For those among us who’d rather drink wine than do, well, much of anything else, these made-in-Texas wood stem wine glasses make for an ideal fifth anniversary treat. | Wood Stem Wine Glasses – Set of 2

Handmade from recycled wine bottles and wood salvaged from the beams of old homes, this rustic calendar can be used daily or as a static marker of an important date—your anniversary, perhaps? | It’s a Date – Wine Bottle Glass Calendar

This wooden watch is made from sustainably-sourced maple left untreated by stains or dyes, highlighting its natural color and grain. It’s a striking alternative to your garden variety timepiece (no pun intended), and an inspired way to celebrate your fifth anniversary… and the passage of time. | Maple Wood Watch

Who doesn’t love a good Lazy Susan? This charming version reserves a spot for your last name, hometown, and the year of your wedding, making it a great way to say “hooray!” for your union. | Personalized Lazy Susan

Made from solid cherry, this cutting board serves as a unique tribute to your marriage with a laser-engraved Venn diagram that includes your first names at its outer edges—and your shared surname where its circles converge. | Personalized Venn Diagram Cutting Board

Modern: Silverware

Perhaps more useful than a traditional pocket knife is this collapsible set of silverware disguised as a multi-tool, perfect for the modern, itinerant partner with a taste for fine culinary fare. | Pocket Utensil Set

Hadley is a Brooklyn-based connoisseur of candy, hot sauce, and Japanese dog Instagrams (seriously, ask her about her favorite shiba inus). For reasons unknown, she derives great joy from Windexing the many glass surfaces in her apartment. If she had to pick one thing to eat for the rest of her life, it would be fresh, homemade bibimbap with extra sauce—but she'd want you to know how hard it was to choose.

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